Effect of Dietary Fat Quality and Vitamin E on the Antioxidant Potential of Pigs

A randomized blocked factorial experiment was conducted with 90 young pigs. From 4 to 11 weeks of age the pigs were kept in individual pens and fed a selenium supplemented basal diet consisting mostly of propionic acid treated barley, soybean meal and dried skim milk, and containing < 0.5 mg vitamin E per kg. The treatment factors during this period were 3 dietary levels of added vitamin E (nil, 10 and 30 mg/kg) and a 6 % supplement of fresh or oxidized fat (2/3 lard and 1/3 herring oil). From 11 weeks of age until slaughter at 90 kg the pigs received the vitamin E supplements but no fat or dried skim milk. The basal diet for this later experimental period was based on untreated dry barley. Blood samples collected during the period of investigation were examined for vitamin E and for resistance against erythrocyte lipid peroxidation (ELP) in order to evaluate the antioxidant status.Analysis of variance and Student’s t-test on least squares means showed the ELP to be influenced independently by the vitamin E supplement and, during the fat feeding period, by the quality of the fat supplement, with the highest peroxidation resistance (low ELP) in the groups fed fresh fat and a high level of vitamin E. Blood vitamin E level was only influenced — positively — by the vitamin E supplement although variations in the feed vitamin E level below 10–15 mg vitamin E per kg did not result in corresponding variations in measurable blood vitamin E concentrations. In the same low range of vitamin E in the feed there was a statistically significant difference in ELP values between the different vitamin E treatment groups. No clinical manifestations of selenium-vitamin E deficiency were observed in the pigs.The ELP and the plasma vitamin E levels observed would seem to suggest that a total of 15 mg vitamin E per kg barley-based feed will not always be sufficient for growing pigs.     

Clinico-Pathologic Findings in Young Pigs Fed Different Levels of Selenium,Vitamin E and Antioxidant

A randomized, blocked 2³ factorial experiment was conducted with 48 young pigs. The treatment factors were: 2 levels of selenium (55 and 115 µg/kg), 2 levels of vitamin E (3 and 53 mg/kg) and 2 levels of the antioxidant feed additive Ethoxyquin (0 and 150 mg/kg). All pigs were kept in single pens and fed ad libitum throughout the experimental period of 9 weeks, i.e. from 3 to 12 weeks of age.Plasma, heart, liver and muscle Se levels as well as whole blood glutathione peroxidase activity (EC 1.11.1.9 GSH-Px) were significantly higher in pigs given a dietary supplement of Se than in pigs given no supplement of Se (P ≤ 0.001). The Se-supplemented pigs showed a tendency to lower mean serum transaminase activity (ASAT and ALAT) than unsupplemented pigs, but the influence was significant (P ≤ 0.05) only for the ALAT activity.Blood vit. E levels were higher for pigs receiving a supplement of vit. E than for unsupplemented pigs (P ≤ 0.001), and so was the resistance of red blood cells against lipid peroxidation (ELP), as expressed by lower ELP values.There were no effects of Ethoxyquin supplementation on the biochemical variables included in the study.The histological examination of heart muscle showed that the score for changes was negatively influenced by both Se and vit. E supplement (P ≤ 0.001) and to some extent also by Ethoxyquin supplement (P ≤ 0.05). The histological picture of m. long dorsi was influenced only by the vit. E supplement (P ≤ 0.01). No histological changes were found in the liver in this study. There were inverse relationships between whole blood GSH-Px defluorescence time and blood Se, and between ELP and whole blood vit. E (P ≤ 0.001).     

Importance of diet of dam and colostrum to the biological antioxidant status and parenteral iron tolerance of the pig

Fifteen second-parity sows were used to determine the importance of vitamin E (E) and selenium (Se) supplementation of the sow's diet and colostrum consumption by the neonatal pig on tolerance to parenteral iron. Selenium (.1 ppm) and E (50 IU/kg) supplementation of the diet of the sow increased plasma tocopherol and Se concentrations, but did not increase plasma glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity. Colostrum had greater concentrations of E (primarily alpha-tocopherol) and Se than milk. Plasma biological antioxidant status (tocopherol level and GSH-Px activity) of pigs at birth was very low, but by 2 d of age had increased, especially in alpha-tocopherol (nearly a 20-fold increase). Liveability and body weight gain of pigs were not affected by the pre-colostrum iron injection (200 mg Fe as gleptoferron); however, plasma tocopherol concentrations of Fe-injected pigs were lower and plasma Se concentration and GSH-Px activities were higher at 2 d of age than values of pigs not receiving parenteral Fe. Supplementation of the dam's diet with E and Se maintained high tocopherol and Se levels in her colostrum and milk and a high biological antioxidant status in her pigs throughout the nursing period.     

Effects of dietary Selenomethionine supplementation on growth performance,antioxidant status,plasma selenium concentration,and immune function in weaning pigs

Background

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of DL-selenomethionine (DL-SeMet) supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant status, plasma selenium (Se) concentration, and immune function of weaning pigs. 216 weaning pigs were randomly allocated to 6 treatments with 6 replicates each according to a complete randomized block design. Each replicate had six pigs. Diet of group one was corn-soybean basal diet without any additional Se supplement. Group 2 was supplemented with 0.3 mg/kg of Se from sodium selenite. Groups 3-6 were supplemented with 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 mg/kg of Se from DL-SeMet, respectively. The trial lasted for 42 days.

Results

Pigs supplemented with 0.3 and 0.7 mg/kg DL-SeMet obtained better feed gain ratio (P < 0.05). The best antioxidant ability (serum, liver, and muscle) was shown in 0.1-0.3 mg/kg DL-SeMet groups (P < 0.05). The plasma Se concentration increased as the dietary DL-SeMet level elevated. The immunity among groups was not affected.

Conclusions

DL-SeMet supplementation in the diet significantly improved the growth performance, antioxidant ability and plasma Se content of weaning pigs. DL-SeMet can replace sodium selenite in the diet of weaning pigs.     

Selenium and glutathione peroxidase levels in lambs receiving feed supplemented with sodium selenite or selenomethionine

Twenty-one 6 months old female lambs were divided into 7 groups and fed a basal diet containing 0.13 mg Se/kg. The basal diet was further supplemented with 0, 0.1, 0.5 or 1.0 mg Se/kg either as sodium selenite or as selenomethionine, and was fed for 10 weeks. Both feed additives produced an increase in the selenium concentration in the tissues analysed. Significant correlations were found between the concentrations of selenomethionine or sodium selenite added to the feed and the subsequent tissue levels. However, the selenium levels seemed to plateau at approximately 0.5 mg Se/kg of supplemented sodium selenite. The total glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity of the tissues increased when the selenium supplementation increased from 0 to 0.1 mg/kg for both selenium compounds. With further increase in selenium supplementation the GSH-Px activity in the tissues plateaued except in the blood where the activity continued to rise with increasing selenomethionine supplementation. The selenium dependent GSH-Px activity in the liver rose with increasing selenomethionine supplementation, but approached a plateau when 0.1 mg Se/kg as sodium selenite was added to the feed. The selenium concentration in whole blood responded more rapidly to the selenium supplementation than did GSH-Px activity. The experiment indicates that the optimal selenium concentration in the feed is considerably higher than 0.1 mg Se/kg, and that selenium levels of 1.0 mg/kg in the feed do not result in any risk for the animals or the consumers of the products.Key words: dietary selenium, lambs, selenium concentrations, glutathione peroxidase activities, tissues     

Effect of Dietary and Injectable Vitamin E on the Antioxidant Status of Pigs

An experiment concerning 6 different vitamin E treatments was conducted with 30 young pigs. From 4 to 15 weeks of age the pigs were kept in individual pens and fed a selenium supplemented basal diet consisting mostly of propionic acid treated barley and soybean meal, and containing 4.4 mg vitamin E per kg. The treatments were periods with or without vitamin E supplement (20 mg/kg) or a vitamin E injection (200 mg). Blood samples collected during the period of investigation were examined for vitamin E and for resistance against erythrocyte lipid peroxidation (ELP) in order to evaluate the antioxidant status.Analysis of variance showed a litter effect on ELP values at all the weekly investigations and a treatment effect from two weeks after the experiment had started. Also the blood vitamin E level was litter dependent and influenced by treatment. Paired comparisons by Student’s t-test showed a delay of 1 to 2 weeks in the effect on ELP of a dietary vitamin E supplement. In contrast, both ELP and vitamin E changed very rapidly (hours) after vitamin E injections.Independently of the vitamin E treatments there was a rise in ELP within the first 2 or 3 weeks after weaning; this was taken as an index of a reduced antioxidant status during that period.Key words: Vitamin E, antioxidant status, erythrocyte lipid peroxidation, pigs     

Vitamin E requirements of laying hens

In 5 experiments with 1,296 laying hybrids at the age of 22-73 weeks producing eggs for consumption a varied supplementation of between 0 and 20 mg vitamin E per kg of a semisynthetic ration was tested. The vitamin E content of the basal ration was less than 1 mg per kg feed. The quotas of selenium and unsaturated fatty acids in the feed were taken into consideration. Vitamin E and Se supplements did not influence, feed intake, laying, performance, feed efficiency/100 g egg development of body weight and mortality. The supplementation of 14% vitamin-E-free sunflower oil caused a significant decrease of the laying performance by 15%. There was no relation between the humoral immune reaction and vitamin E supply. The peroxide value of the abdominal fat and the activities of the creatine phosphokinase, the aspartate and alanine amino transferase in the blood serum were not directionally changed by the vitamin E, Se and oil supplements. There were no significant relations between the vitamin E content of the feed and that of the yolk and the yolk sac of the chicken. A vitamin E requirement of less than 1 mg and a requirement norm, including a safety margin, of 5 mg per kg feed was derived from the results for laying hens for egg production. A supplement of synthetic vitamin E to laying hen feed is thus not necessary.     

Dietary selenium increases vitamin E contents of egg yolk and chicken meat

1. The influence of different forms of dietary selenium (Se) on vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and Se contents of egg yolk and chicken meat was investigated. 2. Eggs were collected from laying hens subjected to 4 different dietary treatments after 24 weeks of age. Treatments compared the effects of inorganic Se supplementation (selenite) to those of organic (Se-enriched yeast, Se-enriched alga Chlorella) supplements. In a second experiment the effect of the above organic dietary Se supplementation on the alpha-tocopherol contents of meat from broiler chickens was evaluated. 3. Dietary Se supplementation increased the alpha-tocopherol content of egg yolks from 297 mg/kg dry matter in treatment without supplementation to 311 mg/kg when selenium was supplemented as selenite, and to 370-375 mg/kg when organic supplements were used. The Se and alpha-tocopherol contents of breast and thigh meat in broilers were significantly increased by organic dietary Se supplementation. 4. The inclusion of organic dietary Se sources in the diets of laying hens and broilers would enhance the nutritional value (vitamin E and Se contents) of products (eggs and meat) for human consumption.     

Effects of selenium and vitamin E supplementation on selenium distribution and meat quality of pigs

Abstract

The study was conducted on 60 pigs kept in individual pens. The animals were allocated to four groups. The growing-finishing pigs from the control group were fed with basic feed containing 0.3 mg selenium (Se) derived from Na₂SeO₃ kg^?1 and 60 mg of dl-α-tocopheryl acetate kg^?1. The remaining three groups were differentiated by adding 0.2 mg kg^?1 Se-enriched yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and/or 60 mg vitamin E to feed (grower and finisher). Our results show that the addition of organic Se to inorganic Se commonly used in pig feed caused a significant increase in hepatic Se and muscle. This indicates the possibility of using these products as functional foods to improve Se status in humans residing within regions which are deficient in this trace element. We found no beneficial effect of supplementation with vitamin E and Se on the quality of the meat.     

Combined Therapeutic Effect of Dietary Selenium and Vitamin Ε on Manifested Vesd Syndrome in Weaned Pigs

By using a therapeutic dietary supplementation in pigs, which had developed the vitamin Ε and selenium deficiency (VESD) syndrome, the same amounts of α-tocopheryl acetate and selenium were found to be effective as under prophylactic conditions. The experiment thus supported the conclusions that the addition of 5 mg DL-α-tocopheryl acetate/kg and 135 μg selenium/kg to a diet, which contained only traces of vitamin Ε and selenium, represents a level of minimal requirement. Glutathione peroxidase activity in blood serum was used to evaluate the selenium status in pigs. A modified method for determination of tocopherol in fat tissue was described. The addition of 15 mg α-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet was demonstrated to be sufficient to maintain the tocopherol stores in body fat at an unchanged level.     

Selenium and vitamin E deficiency in pigs. II. Influence on plasma selenium, vitamin E, ASAT and ALAT and on tissue selenium.

The effect of dietary selenium (Se) and vitamin E (Vit. E) in pigs on Se and Vit. E in plasma and on Se in tissue from liver, heart, m. long, dorsi and m. psoas major was studied; and furthermore was the influence on the enzymes ASAT and ALAT studied.Two levels of Se were used, 0.03 and 0.06 mg Se per kg feed. Within each Se level 2 levels of Vit. E were used, 15 and 45 i. u. per kg feed. This resulted in 4 groups: 1. low Se and low Vit. E; 2. low Se and high Vit. E; 3. high Se and low Vit. E; 4. high Se and high Vit. E.Ten% of all pigs fed low Se, and 4% of the pigs fed low Se and high Vit. E diet died with severe symptoms of Se deficiency. None of the pigs fed the high Se diet died with such symptoms. Plasma Se determinations have been shown to indicate the Se status in pigs almost as accurately as liver Se determination. ASAT and ALAT enzyme determinations were not of any diagnostic value.There was a good agreement between dietary Vit. E level and the corresponding levels in plasma. Oxidized herring oil seems to enhance the Vit. E need.     

Effects of Selenium Administration on Erythrocyte and Blood Plasma Glutathione Peroxidase Activity in Goats

The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px, E.G. 1.11.1.9.) was determined in heparinized whole blood, blood plasma and washed erythrocytes from goats before and up to 4 weeks after the administration of selenium (0.4 mg/10 kg BW) and vitamin E (20 mg/10 kg BW) or only vit. E (20 mg/10 kg BW). It was found that Se administration caused a significant increase in enzyme activity in whole blood and washed erythrocytes first detected 2 weeks after the intramuscular injection of Se. No changes were observed in plasma from the treated animals. Minor and insignificant changes were seen in the vit. E treated control animals. It is concluded that GSH-Px activity in blood plasma or serum is of no value as a short-term indicator of the selenium status of goats but whole blood is a good indicator of the long-term status.     

Glutathione Peroxidase Activity in Porcine Blood

Determination of the seleno-enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in blood from Danish Landrace pigs was done using a quantitative, spectrophotometric method and a simple “spot test”. A close correlation between the net reaction rate measured spectrophotometrically (Δ A/min.) and time for defluores-cence (minutes) was obtained (r² = 0.72—0.77, P < 0.0005). From these results the factors used for a conversion of defluorescence time to u/g hemoglobin were evaluated. The results further showed that the “spot test” can be used as a screening method for detection of subnormal GSH-Px levels in pigs.While red cell GSH-Px seems independent of the sex, an elevation of both plasma and red cell GSH-Px was found with increasing age of pigs. The normal range of red cell GSH-Px activity was wide, contrasting the small variations observed in the individual pig. Some evidence that porcine red cell GSH-Px is under genetical control was found and discussed in relation to the possible use of GSH-Px as an indicator of the pig''s selenium status.     

Effect of selenium, vitamin E and riboflavin supplementation of the feed on the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of growing pigs

The feed of weaned piglets of Hungarian Large White X Duroc and Dutch Landrace X Duroc genotype was supplemented with 0.5 mg selenium, 50, 100 or 150 mg vitamin E, and 2.5 or 5 mg riboflavin per kg. Feed supplementation enhanced the cytotoxic reaction and elevated the antibody titres produced against purified horse gamma globulin antigen. However, as compared to the control the differences were not significant. Feed supplementation exerted a beneficial, though varying, influence on the indices of cell-mediated immunity. The proportion of rosette-forming cells and blastogenic transformation induced by specific (horse globulin) and nonspecific (phytohaemagglutinin, PHA) mitogens underwent the most expressed and most significant increase in pigs fed 5 mg selenium, 100 mg vitamin E and 5 mg riboflavin per kg of feed. On the other hand, feed supplementation failed to enhance the responsiveness to intradermal PHA (type IV allergic reaction).     

Effect of selenium on performance, serum selenium concentration and glutathione peroxidase activity in pigs

Pigs from sows fed a diet deficient in Se and low in vitamin E were fed a Torula yeast diet supplemented with 100 IU dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg of diet. Dietary treatments were levels of supplemental Se of 0, .025, .050, .075 or .100 ppm. Some death loss occurred in pigs receiving no supplemental Se at approximately 5 wk of age. Autopsy revealed liver and heart lesions typical of vitamin E-Se deficiency. Selenium supplement had no significant effect on average daily gain, feed intake or gain to feed ratio for the 4-wk experiment. Selenium status of pigs was determined by serum Se concentration and serum glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity. Serum Se increased linearly (P less than .01) with increasing supplemental Se. Serum GSH-Px activity increased linearly (P less than .01) and quadratically (P less than .05) with increasing supplemental Se. With time, the level of serum Se and GSH-Px activity decreased in unsupplemental pigs, but increased in pigs fed diets supplemented with Se and resulted in significant interactions (P less than .01) between dietary Se level and time on experiment. The correlation between serum Se concentration and GSH-Px activity was .81 (P less than .01).     

Effects of vitamin E and selenium on performance, digestibility of nutrients, and carcass characteristics of Japanese quails reared under heat stress (34 degrees C)

This study was conducted to determine the effects of vitamin E (dL-alpha-Tocopheryl acetate) and selenium (Se; Na2-SeO3) on performance, digestibility of nutrients and carcass characteristics of Japanese quails reared under chronic heat stress (34 degrees C). A total of 120 10-day-old Japanese quails were randomly assigned to four treatment groups, three replicates of 10 birds each. The birds with a 2 x 2 factorial design received either two levels of vitamin E (125 and 250 mg/kg of diet) or two levels of Se (0.1 or 0.2 mg/kg of diet). A 250-mg vitamin E/kg of diet compared with that of 125 mg/kg of diet and higher dietary Se inclusions (0.1 vs. 0.2 mg/kg) resulted in a better performance (p=0.001). The interaction between vitamin E and Se for feed intake (p=0.03), final body weight change (p=0.03) and feed efficiency (p=0.001) was detected. Carcass yield increased with increasing both dietary vitamin E and Se (p=0.001). The interactions on carcass characteristics were all non-significant (p > 0.06). Digestibility of nutrients (DM, OM, CP and ether extract) was higher with higher dietary vitamin E (p=0.03), and DM digestibility was also higher with higher dietary Se (p=0.05). There were no interactions detected for digestibility of nutrients (p=0.28). From the results of the present study, it was concluded that a combination of 250 mg of vitamin E and 0.2 mg of Se provides the greatest performance in Japanese quails reared under heat stress and this combination can be considered as a protective management practice in Japanese quail diets, reducing the negative effects of heat stress.     

Effects of riboflavin supplementation and selenium source on selenium metabolism in the young pig

The effect of dietary riboflavin (B2) supplementation and selenium (Se) source on the performance and Se metabolism of weanling pigs was studied. Pigs fed a B2-supplemented (10 mg/kg) casein-glucose diet for 18 d gained faster than pigs fed the B2-unsupplemented diet. Percentage active erythrocyte glutathione reductase (GR) declined rapidly when pigs were placed on the B2-unsupplemented diet and was lower (P less than .01) than that of B2-supplemented pigs after 12 d on test. Percentage active erythrocyte GR values fell below 50% before other B2 deficiency signs became evident. Supplementation of diets with 10 mg B2/kg resulted in increased kidney and muscle glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity. The Se concentration of liver and heart increased and plasma Se levels decreased with dietary B2 supplementation. Riboflavin supplementation and Se source did not alter apparent Se absorption, but B2 supplementation decreased urinary Se and thus increased Se retention. Also, there was less urinary Se excretion when selenomethionine was the dietary Se source and consequently more Se was retained than when sodium selenite was the dietary Se source. In a final trial, B2 supplementation increased kidney, muscle, heart and brain GSH-Px activity when sodium selenite was the dietary Se source, but not when selenomethionine was the dietary Se source.     

Effects of dietary iron level on growth performance,hematological status,and intestinal function in growing-finishing pigs

This study investigated the different addition levels of iron (Fe) in growing-finishing pigs and the effect of different Fe levels on growth performance, hematological status, intestinal barrier function, and intestinal digestion. A total of 1,200 barrows and gilts ([Large White × Landrace] × Duroc) with average initial body weight (BW; 27.74 ± 0.28 kg) were housed in 40 pens of 30 pigs per pen (gilts and barrows in half), blocked by BW and gender, and fed five experimental diets (eight replicate pens per diet). The five experimental diets were control diet (basal diet with no FeSO₄ supplementation), and the basal diet being supplemented with 150, 300, 450, or 600 mg/kg Fe as FeSO₄ diets. The trial lasted for 100 d and was divided into the growing phase (27 to 60 kg of BW) for the first 50 d and the finishing phase (61 to 100 kg of BW) for the last 50 d. The basal diet was formulated with an Fe-free trace mineral premix and contained 203.36 mg/kg total dietary Fe in the growing phase and 216.71 mg/kg in the finishing phase based on ingredient contributions. And at the end of the experiment, eight pigs (four barrows and four gilts) were randomly selected from each treatment (selected one pig per pen) for digesta, blood, and intestinal samples collection. The results showed that the average daily feed intake (P = 0.025), average daily gain (P = 0.020), and BW (P = 0.019) increased linearly in the finishing phase of pigs fed with the diets containing Fe. On the other hand, supplementation with different Fe levels in the diet significantly increased serum iron and transferrin saturation concentrations (P < 0.05), goblet cell numbers of duodenal villous (P < 0.001), and MUC4 mRNA expression (P < 0.05). The apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of amino acids (AA) for pigs in the 450 and 600 mg/kg Fe groups was greater (P < 0.05) than for pigs in the control group. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 450 to 600 mg/kg Fe improved the growth performance of pigs by changing hematological status and by enhancing intestinal goblet cell differentiation and AID of AA.     

Dietary vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol acetate) and selenium supplementation from different sources: performance, ascites-related variables and antioxidant status in broilers reared at low and optimum temperatures

1. This study compared the effect of dietary supplementation with organic or inorganic selenium (Se) sources plus control amounts or large amounts of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol acetate) in broilers raised at control (20 to 24 degrees C) or low (14.5 to 16.8 degrees C) temperatures after 2 weeks of age. 2. The following dietary treatments were used from one day old. Diet 1, the control diet, comprised a commercial diet containing 0.15 mg/kg inorganic Se and 50 mg vitamin E/kg feed. Diet 2 was the same as diet 1, supplemented with 0.15 mg/kg inorganic Se. Diet 3 was the same as diet 2 but was supplemented with 200 mg/kg vitamin E. Diet 4 was the same as diet 1, but inorganic Se was replaced with 0.30 mg/kg organic Se. Diet 5 was the same as diet 4, supplemented with 200 mg/kg vitamin E. 3. Low temperature reduced the growth rate of broilers; however, at 6 weeks, there were no differences in the body weights of birds fed on organic Se supplemented diets housed at low or control temperature. The feed conversion ratio was significantly affected by low temperature but not by diet. The heterophil/lymphocyte ratio was higher in chicks after one week in the cold, indicating mild stress. Blood triiodothyronine levels were significantly higher in birds after 1 and 4 weeks in the cold but thyroxin was not affected. 4. Organic Se supplementation increased relative lung weight at the control temperature, which might lead to greater respiratory capacity. Relative spleen weight significantly decreased in broilers fed diets supplemented with inorganic Se under cold conditions, a possible indication of chronic oxidative stress. 5. At the low temperature, supplementation with organic Se alone, or with inorganic Se and vitamin E increased glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) activity and glutathione (GSH) concentration in the liver of broilers, which may indicate increased activity of birds' antioxidant defence against suboptimal environments.     

Effect of maternal organic selenium supplementation during pregnancy on sow reproductive performance and long-term effect on their progeny

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for animals and exists in nature in both inorganic and organic forms. Although organic Se is more bioavailable than inorganic Se, there are inconsistent reports on the effect of organic Se on the reproductive performance of sows. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of maternal organic Se (2-hydroxy-4-methylselenobutanoic [HMSeBA]) supplementation on reproductive performance and antioxidant capacity of sows, and the long-term effect on the growth performance and antioxidant capacity of their offspring with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. The experimental design used in this study was a completely randomized design; 45 Landrace × Yorkshire sows were randomly allocated to receive one of the following three diets during gestation: control diet (Control, basal diet, n = 15), sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃)-supplemented diet (Na₂SeO₃, basal diet + 0.3 mg Se/kg Na₂SeO₃, n = 15), and HMSeBA-supplemented diet (HMSeBA, basal diet + 0.3 mg Se/kg HMSeBA, n = 15). On day 21 of age, male offspring from each group were injected with LPS or saline (n = 6). As compared with the control group, maternal HMSeBA supplementation increased the number of total born piglets, while decreased birth weight (P < 0.05). In the first week of lactation, maternal HMSeBA supplementation increased litter weight gain compared with the Na₂SeO₃ group (P < 0.05) and increased the average daily gain of piglets compared with the control group and Na₂SeO₃ group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, maternal HMSeBA supplementation decreased piglet birth interval as compared with the control group and Na₂SeO₃ group (P < 0.05). Besides, plasma glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was higher in the HMSeBA group on farrowing 0 min and 90 min, while malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was lower on farrowing 0, 90, and 135 min than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, maternal HMSeBA supplementation increased the concentration of selenoprotein P (SELENOP) in colostrum compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Further study revealed that the LPS-challenged HMSeBA group had higher GSH-Px and total antioxidant capacity and lower MDA in weaning piglets compared with the LPS-challenged control group (P < 0.05). Taken together, maternal HMSeBA supplementation increased the number of total born piglets, shortened the duration of farrowing, improved the antioxidant capacities of sows and their offspring, and improved the growth performance of suckling pigs at the first week of lactation. Thus, HMSeBA supplementation during gestation has the potentiality to produce more kilogram of meat.